Mental Health News and Research

Latest Mental Health News and Research

FDA approves expansion of St. Jude Medical's BROADEN deep brain stimulation study for depression

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval for expansion of its BROADEN (BROdmann Area 25 DEep brain Neurostimulation) study for depression. This expansion will allow a maximum of 20 sites across the U.S. to enroll up to 125 patients.

11 Jul 2011

People with long term debilitating physical illness demonstrate mental resilience

People who have a long term debilitating physical illness demonstrate mental resilience according to Understanding Society, the world's largest longitudinal household study.

11 Jul 2011

WPD intervention might improve effects of stress management group therapy

A randomized clinical trial published in a recent issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics examines a new method for enhancing the effects of stress management therapy. Evidence is accumulating that worry is an important mediator between the experience of stressors and poor mental and somatic health.

11 Jul 2011

LSUHSC to study mid, long-term health consequences of oil exposure

LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health is launching the first study ever done of the mid- and long-term health consequences of exposure to oil.

11 Jul 2011

Study confirms maternal alcohol consumption increases risk of birth outcomes

Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and small size for gestational age, confirms a study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

11 Jul 2011

Scientists identify de novo mutations linked to schizophrenia

De novo mutations - genetic errors that are present in patients but not in their parents - are more frequent in schizophrenic patients than in normal individuals, according to an international group of scientists led by Dr. Guy A. Rouleau of the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital.

11 Jul 2011

German investigators test new approach for chronic depression

In a recent issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics a group of German investigators headed by Eva Brakemeier has performed a pilot study to test a new approach for chronic depression.

8 Jul 2011

Women exposed to domestic violence during childhood may experience PTSD as adults

Children who witness domestic violence are more likely to be in abusive intimate relationships and experience psychological problems such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

8 Jul 2011

Scientists track public health trends through Twitter

Twitter allows millions of social media fans to comment in 140 characters or less on just about anything: an actor's outlandish behavior, an earthquake's tragic toll or the great taste of a grilled cheese sandwich.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers to evaluate long-term health effects of oil spills

An NIH-funded network of researchers will evaluate potential harmful effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on reproduction and birth outcomes, the cardiorespiratory system, and behavior and mental health.

8 Jul 2011

Researchers find new molecule that controls pain sensitivity from UVB irradiation

Researchers at King's College London have found a molecule in the body which controls sensitivity to pain from UVB irradiation, identifying it as a new target for medicines to treat pain caused by other common inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

7 Jul 2011

Cultural, gender and ethnic stereotypes can distort treatment of Parkinson's

Cultural, ethnic and gender stereotypes can significantly distort clinical judgments about "facially masked" patients with Parkinson's disease, according to a newly published study from researchers at Tufts University, Brandeis University and the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan.

7 Jul 2011

Study provides information about trends in obesity, public health implications

Researchers out of Arizona State University recently published an article in the American Journal of Public Health titled "Shared Norms and Their Explanation for the Social Clustering of Obesity". It looked at why obesity seems to be common in some families and groups of friends.

7 Jul 2011

Medicaid expands access to care, improves health for low-income adults

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and Providence Health & Services have found that expanding low income adults' access to Medicaid substantially increases health care use, reduces financial strain on covered individuals, and improves their self-reported health and well-being.

7 Jul 2011

Study finds top grand challenges in global mental health

A Toronto-based researcher is at the helm of a massive, worldwide study that identifies the top global challenges in mental health. The paper resulting from the study appears in Nature today.

7 Jul 2011

Scientists identify molecular mechanism behind alcohol-induced blackouts

A person who drinks too much alcohol may be able to perform complicated tasks, such as dancing, carrying on a conversation or even driving a car, but later have no memory of those escapades. These periods of amnesia, commonly known as "blackouts," can last from a few minutes to several hours.

7 Jul 2011

Global research initiative to improve health care for people with MNS disorders

Mental health experts are calling for a greater world focus on improving access to care and treatment for mental, neurological, and substance use (MNS) disorders, as well as increasing discoveries in research that will enable this goal to be met.

7 Jul 2011

State roundup: Health officials in Calif. draw high pay

Abortion-rights supporters worried Tuesday that regulations Kansas is trying to enact would give the state health department unfettered access to patient medical records and suggested it could endanger the privacy of women who have terminated pregnancies.

7 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 6, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about how budget pressures and the deficit reduction negotiations are having an impact on Medicare and Medicaid.

6 Jul 2011

Smoking, social class may lead to POF in women

POF is not only associated with infertility but also with significantly increased morbidity and mortality, as well as a decreased quality of life equivalent to that of people with type 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, said Dr. Rumana Islam, from Imperial College, London, UK.

6 Jul 2011